poorboy's 64 GMC build

[jhnpldng]

64 GMC 1500 + 66 Chevy C10 + 87 K2500 + 93 S10 Blazer = MaBaby. Not one of those siiick, super custom jobs. Just looking to have a cool work truck. If I ever go all out on something it will have to be a car because I use my trucks like trucks.

Here it is shortly after hauling it back from MO two years after moving to FL. Long two years I tell ya. This pic is getting ready to convert it to a K series with the help of an 87 K2500 parts truck. Also gave me Power disc brakes and power steering.



Talk about luck. The 87 12 bolt corp axle was 4.10 ratio just like the dana 60 on the rear of the truck.


Here it is after bringing it home with PS, PB and a sway bar. Much more driveable. Also patched up the front fenders and threw a coat of cheap gray primer over the multiple colors to make it less of an eyesore.


Finally moved out of downtown to a couple of acres just outside of town. Room to breath and work. Pulled the bed and cab and revamped the frame. Also put a vortec 4.3 in it with 4L60E, wiring and computer from a 93 S10 blazer I got for 200. Scrap prices were real high at the time so I got 300 for scrapping the blazer. Got the blazer cheap because it needed a tranny solenoid for 2-3. Also had a little rust. Eventually I'll get a vortec 5.7 for it. Would really like to do the 5.7 marine intake swap onto it also.


Recognize the 14x20 building from one of the earlier pics? I pulled that to the new place with the truck. Gawwd I love my truck.
Digging through the rodents nest of the 66 C10 parts truck I bought for 200 for bedsides I found a box at the bottom of the pile and it had every piece of brand new rubber for the truck. Even had both big and small back window seals. Also vent window rebuild seals. I still need to do the bedsides but threw it back together to drive for now. I did get the inside of the cab painted after patching the floors when it was apart. I actually threw it back together without the bed at first just so I could pull home a 5th wheel. Hey, a $200 5th wheel. I couldn't pass it up. Especially since I already had the $10 hitch. Gotta love ebay sometimes.



Really wished I'd have had a V8 towing that 5th wheel home but being a pomofo it'll have to wait. The cpi vortec 4.3 doesn't look too bad in there though. Beats the slap worn out 80s 250 with integral head and TH250 tranny that were in there. Just got the main harness put through a proper hole in the firewall. It was hanging on the zip tie and going through the heater hole.


Kinda fits the firewall shape. Of course so do the TPI vette motors but this is a low budget work truck build. The tires I want cost more than what I've got in the truck so far.

64 GMC 1500: $250
87 K2500: $200
93 Blazer: $200 + 50 for 2-3 shift solenoid and scrapped blazer for $300 = -50
66 C10: $200
Primer, paint and misc: $200.
Getting compliments and stares in an old dented and rusty truck: Priceless

Tires will be a grand or so unless I find a deal on some good used ones.
Blazer was 2wd so I still need a 4wd 4L60E but I do have the NP231 that came with the 87 K2500. Would prefer NP205 of course.
For gauges I'm looking at autometer arctic white which will be close to 300.
The rest of the paint and body materials will be 400 or so.
Chrome: 2 bumpers@200 each, long side moldings are 200 and the only ones I'm keeping. It was a custom cab but that crap around the door windows is just too busy. Back bumper can wait but it's rusty bad on the inside.

[Captainfab]

Sounds like a pretty nice truck for a driver. Wish I could see more than the first two pics....the rest are just red X's. I did see the pic of your engine in another thread though. You did a nice job on the install.

[jhnpldng]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Sounds like a pretty nice truck for a driver. Wish I could see more than the first two pics....the rest are just red X's. I did see the pic of your engine in another thread though. You did a nice job on the install.

Thanks. trying to make it all look like it belongs.
I had problems with the internet all day yesterday. Pics musta got lost in cyberspace.
That 4.3 gets great mileage and it did pull the 5th wheel that probably weighs 4-5000 lbs. plus the truck at about the same weight. It didn't like it though. Topped out at 60mph due to wind load. Trailer is 5ft taller, 2ft wider than the truck and even less aerodynamic. I don't plan on hauling it on a regular basis. Just something to fix up and put on Mom-In-Laws property a couple of hrs north of here. She's got a small leaky pop-up with her, husband, 3 big dogs and wants us to visit often. Probably trade her the 5th wheel for the pop-up.

Truck needs new front springs. One's kinda wavy. I think someone played dukes of hazzard with the 87. It'll be going 2-3" higher and getting 285/75/16s which are almost 33" dia. Will need steps for the Wife and kids. Might do a custom winch bumper/brush guard. Then again the stock front makes me smile. So for about 3K I'll have a pretty decent truck. I'll update this post with inside cab paint pic. Here's one that pretty much shows the gold for the interior. I sprayed the back of the cab, jambs except rocker and around the windshield frame just to have paint there and be able to put the glass back in. Broke the nicer of the two windshields and had to put the one with fog along the bottom back in. Measured it after I broke it and it was almost an 1/8" taller. As it is I don't know if I'll ever get the center strip back in and it doesn't leak. It was so tight that gap is non existent. Supposed to be the S.S. strip for custom cab but the rubber came with plastic center strip and I wasn't the one who ordered it so I don't know if it will work with the S.S. trim. I'll check it later when it's 95 degrees out and the rubber's nice and soft.

I have no idea what color(s) the outside will be. That interior paint was bright silver fleet when I got it and I added some burgundy metallic that I had laying around just to tone it down a bit. Truck was originally solid beige on the outside and naturally the standard gold inside for custom cab. I really like that vanilla color they're using on some new mopars and similar on beetles. Nice light color for FL. and not too far from original. Going with wrinkle finish or other black satin texture for heater control panel and instrument panel that are both recessed on the rest of the gold dash.
Still gotta get everything situated, then I can pull the front clip back of for painting firewall, underhood and inner fenders etc. Then put it back together and actually line everything up. Also needs cab corners and outer rockers. I'm doing wiring right now. (and heat) Just put the 93 park/turn harness up under the hood but need to extend some wires and put it in loom behind the left underhood brace where it belongs. Everything is getting soldered and heatshrink tubing. That harness gives me side marker lamps so I'm thinking, cut out some 3/16 plexiglas the shape of the V6 emblem to put behind the emblems with a 45 degree outward beveled edge. Put the bulb in back and it will give me a blowing border effect. Probably clear with an amber bulb and polished edge on the plexi. Barely visible by day and will light up amber at night. Right now they just kinda hang there but they do light up between the hood and fender. On the bed I plan on putting tool boxes built into the side of the bed in front of the rear tires like they had on the old furds. For the interior I'm trying to keep it vintage looking. Actually trying to keep the whole truck stock looking. Even if it is 93 stock under the hood. Keeping the old steering column and ign switch etc. 64 ign switch only takes 5 wires and 93 took 7 so I wired in a relay to cover the extra. Could have got a 71-72 switch but the relay was 5 bucks. Right now I've got a temporary floor shifter out of a 97 blazer. When I get the shift lever freed up on the 64 column I'll just run the cable to the lever on the outer end of the tube where the linkage used to go. Lever goes from P to L but doesn't go back and forth to lock in P etc. I'll have to redo the little plexi piece on the column with the PRNDL to say PRN[0]321. Hopefully that won't put them too close together. Some midification may be required. Rims will be what's in pic 4 of the OP. 16" steels with trim rings and centercaps from a 97 that I machined the center out of to go over the hubs. Might lose the trim rings. Will have a look after tires. Another thing I'd like to do is find a vintage, hard plastic type of steering wheel @ 14-15" diameter and add a suicide knob for parking. I have the 93 on there now but it don't look era appropriate. I can't find my original which bugs me. I know it's here somewhere. It's too big for PS though. 17-18" or something.

Well that's about it. The rest of the posts will be updates and way less wordy. Oh wait one last thing. I was originally planning on making it and extended cab but the sheet metal from the 66 parts truck was just too rusty. After blasting both sides it would have been perforated tin foil. Plus there was frame, wheelbase issues. Someday if I find a late model frame for an extended cab I'll go that route. Here's one of the best I've seen done for stock look.

As seen here. http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/berg_chad_1963.html He ingeniously kept most of the 94 floor and firewall so the seats, seat belts etc. bolted right back in place. Not enough pics. Probably just like sitting in a 94 though except for doors.

[DPowers]

Cool

[jhnpldng]

Here's some pics of the unfinished interior and one of the back of the cab that really shows the actual color. It's not a match to the original gold and is way more metallic but I didn't care for that greenish gold anyway. I've got forest green visors that were once 71 year. I pulled out the 71 rod and put the 64 in. They'll probably go black unless I end up with green on the outside or maybe even more importantly depending on what color 60/40 seat I find. The seat may actually delegate all other colors aside from the gold. It's got a C60 seat in it now. What a springboard. Wait half an hour after eating before swimming or driving my truck.
I was very careful not to take any pictures of the blotches. Couple of minor ones. Easy fix area right where an upper mount of a shoulder belt would be. It's been a while since I sprayed single stage metallic.









I'd been racking my brain to finger out a good spot for the pcm and finally decided on the glove box. I have some of that proper heavy black cardboard so I'm going to make a custom glove box with sort of a false back to hide the puter. Still a nice convenient spot for checking sensor circuits or swapping chips if I ever get into that or If I ever run across a dirt cheap 5.7 tbi it will be an easy swap being the same pcm enclosure.

[ChiefRocka]

Nice job man...like the V6 idea...